Glaze Loves Wood

I have enjoyed a life long fascination with wood — which began when I discovered a quickly cobbled wooden boat would merrily careen down the road side wash during frequent Texas thunder showers. Unknown to my parents—I would race in the rain to my father’s backyard wood shop to quickly band saw a “boat like thing” which I instantly launched to disappear down Bonham’s Main street in front of our home. From my early “undiscovered use” I developed a lasting appreciation of the Band Saw which opened the door to freely cut wood as well as metal. The band saw’s ability to bite has also been driven home with scars to record the encounters and over time reinforce care in the use of this “eager to cut anything” machine. Since I still have all my finger—I seem to have a temporary equilibrium with the device.

Though I could offer many examples of wood use—I particularly enjoy combining wood with clay. The wonderful contrast of hard surfaced and colorful glaze with soft warm and differently colorful wood tones I find exceptionally sympathetic. One inexplicably supports and encourages the difference of the other. The pieces shown in the slide show below illustrate my exploration and interpretation of the Japanese tradition of capping or lidding a ceramic container with a sympathetically “other” material. I hope you will share my interest and appreciation.